Ahmedabad: In an anti-corruption operation, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) apprehended Inayathussen Ibrahim Sheikh, a Divisional Fire Officer with the Amdavad Municipal Corporation, while accepting a bribe of ₹65,000. The arrest took place at the Prahladnagar Fire Station, where Sheikh was stationed.

The operation was initiated following a complaint from a vigilant citizen who alleged that Sheikh had demanded a bribe of ₹80,000 to clear a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC). The complainant, who runs a private agency specializing in fire safety equipment installation and NOC consultancy for government and private buildings, had submitted the necessary documents for a building’s fire NOC.

According to the complainant, the NOC process was unduly delayed for approximately three months. Upon meeting Sheikh at his office, the officer reportedly demanded the substantial bribe. Despite the initial demand, the complainant managed to obtain the fire NOC without paying the originally requested amount.

However, Sheikh allegedly continued to pressure the complainant, demanding ₹80,000 for the previously cleared NOC. He reportedly threatened that future NOC applications from the complainant would be blocked if the payment was not made. Sheikh had already received ₹15,000 from the complainant and repeatedly demanded the remaining ₹65,000.

Refusing to succumb to the officer’s demands, the complainant approached the ACB and filed a formal complaint. The ACB, acting on the complaint, set up a trap using two independent witnesses and an audio recorder. During the operation, Sheikh was caught red-handed accepting the ₹65,000 bribe from the complainant at his office on the second floor of the Prahladnagar Fire Station.

Sheikh has been arrested and charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act for abusing his position as a public servant and engaging in criminal misconduct. The recovered bribe money has been seized as evidence.

The successful operation was conducted under the supervision of N.N. Jadav, In-Charge Assistant Director of the ACB, Ahmedabad Unit, and was executed by Police Inspector M.L. Rajput from the ACB, Anand Police Station, along with his team. DeshGujarat